Tom Oates: Wisconsin's Nigel Hayes at his best in the stretch run

19/03/2017

First thing's first: The NCAA Tournament selection committee did a awful job seeding the East Region, handing the defending champ and top overall seed such a tough, experienced opponent in the second round. The quartet even made it to the 2015 National Championship game, but after an incredible turnaround last season, they wanted to continue to build upon their legacy. And after Wisconsin survived a solid Virginia Tech team, Villanova needs to be better than they were in the opening round against Mount St. Mary's if they want to make the Sweet 16. They just - they don't fear a 2 for 13 night. On Thursday night, they leaned on their experience from previous NCAA visits down the stretch to defeat Virginia Tech 84-74.

With Koenig and Hayes leading the charge, the eighth-seeded Badgers (26-9) made all the big plays in the closing minutes to set up a meeting with top-seeded Villanova on Saturday. That certainly happened Thursday night.

Mike Daum scored 17 points with seven rebounds and two blocks to lead the way for the West Regional sixteenth-seeded Jackrabbits (18-17).

As for Wisconsin's inside game, senior forward Darryl Reynolds said the issue is the discipline and decision-making capabilities of the Badgers' big men. Koenig then committed what could have been a killer turnover with 36.4 seconds left when his pass out of a trap to Hayes was stolen by DiVincenzo, who was fouled by Hayes.

In each of Villanova's three losses, they struggled shooting from the outside.

Wisconsin is 2-6 ATS in its last eight games after an ATS win. The Badgers were in good position after starting 21-3 but had a stretch of five losses in six games before rallying to reach the Big Ten championship game, where they lost to MI 71-56 on Sunday. The team as a whole went ice cold, so the offense suffered with the double teams continuing. If Wisconsin's strong defense can create problems for Jenkins, they could definitely put themselves into position for the massive upset. He was 8-for-9 from the free throw line.

Josh Hart, the Big East Player of the Year, was held to modest totals of 11 points and five rebounds, although the bigger concern for Villanova has to be fellow senior Kris Jenkins. The duo leads the team in scoring, averaging a combined 33.5 points per game, and both shoot around 40% from deep. The committee's handling of the Big Ten (B1G!) was baffling, and as a result, it will be No. 1 Villanova and No. 8 Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon in Buffalo.

The Wildcats are close in all three departments, giving up 62.6 points per game (16th in the nation), allowing 41.6 percent shooting, and coming in at 11th in efficiency at 92.1 points per 100 possessions.

The Badgers have played in 19 straight NCAA tournaments and improved to 15-3 in the round of 64 since 2000. Hayes finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Tabbed as the team to beat - well, at least one of them - Villanova's players and coaches knew anything less than a return to the Final Four would be looked at as failure.

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